Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Four-star review of Kingdom of Tomorrow by Gena Showalter

 

This novel is the first of a fantasy duology that starts with the usual story of a woman with abilities she knows nothing about and a powerful (and handsome) man who may or may not be trying to help and protect her. Arden only knows her own homeland called Ourland and joins a training program to give her mother a better life and becomes entangled with High Prince Cyrus Dorian. Lots of plot twists later and Arden still has questions about Ourland and Theirland, how they came to be. I’m intrigued enough to read the second book.

Tuesday Book Review on Thursday

Three-star review of Lincoln at Cooper Union: the Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President by Harold Holzer

I listened to the Audible version of this scholarly book about the speech Lincoln gave in New York that launched his path to the White House, the type of book that tells you what it’s going to cover, covers it, then reiterates what it covered and finally gives a version of the speech, which Lincoln revised and re-presented many times. Yes, I learned a bit about the politics of the time and even a little about the man who became our 16^th president, but it was a rather dry accounting mainly of his whistle-stop tour of New York and New England. Obviously, Holzer did his research into the records of the time, although they weren’t expansive. The speech itself centered on whether new states coming into the union should be regulated as to whether they be free states or ones admitting slavery, an important topic. Listened to for a book club. 

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Five-star review of All Systems Red: the Murderbot Diaries 1 by Martha Wells

 

There’s a reason these books are so popular and spawned a TV series. This isn’t your normal science fiction. The humor alone is unusual. The Security Bot who calls itself Murderbot has a great sense of what’s absurd about humans, including the survey team it was assigned to, and about its predicament. This novella is fast-paced and a fun read. I loved Murderbot and all the members of the team. Each character is well-rounded. I’m looking forward to reading more of the series and hope it maintains this level.

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Five-star review of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This story went from the cliched romantic triangle between a poor girl who doesn’t know the powers she possesses, her childhood friend and a handsome and magnetic powerful man to something much more sinister. Alina and her friend Mal grew up as orphans under the benevolent watch of a nobleman. When they leave they become soldiers but crossing the shadow fold, a dark and mysterious area between Ravka and the sea, Alina releases the magic inside her. She is selected to be one of the Grisha and catches the eye of the Darkling. Alina’s character arc is off to a good start in this book. I loved that many names are echoes of places in Russia and are vividly described. I’ll continue this series to find out what happens next.